The annual beer drinker’s guide to new beers and new breweries draws to a close Sunday with Capitol Beer Fest

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Updated: 6:30 PM PST Mar 11, 2017

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WEBVTT SWITCHING GEARS NOW, SACRAMENTOBEER WEEK STRETCHES INTO ITS10TH DAY, AS BEER DRINKERSCELEBRATE NEW BREWS AND NEWBREWERIES.BEER WEEK CULMINATES TOMORROWWITH CAPITOL BEER FEST ON THE5TH STREET BRIDGE OVERLOOKINGTHE RAILYARDS.THAT'S WHERE WE FIND KCRA 3'SMAX RESNIK.HE JOINS US LIVE WITH THEPREVIEW.MAX: MORE THAN 120 BREWERIESFROM ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND THENATION WILL DESCEND ON THE 5THSTREET BRIDGE TO CREATE A BEERLOVERS PARADISE.WE SPOKE WITH TWO OF THOSEBREWERIES TODAY, ONE THE LONGESTRUNNING IN SACRAMENTO, THE OTHERONE OF THE NEWEST, TO SEEEXACTLY WHAT THIS EVENT MEANS.AT YOUR LOCA BREWERY, THERE ISTHE FRONT OF THE HOUSE WHERE THEBEER GETS BORED.THERE WE ARE, FRESHLY POURED.MAX: AND THERE IS THE BACK,WHERE THE WORK AND THE SCIENCENEVER STOPS.WE USE BACTERIA TO DROP THEPH AND THEN WE FERMENT IT OUTWITH A WILD USED TH WASCULTURED FROM A BOTTLE OF IAMBIC-- LAMBIC.MA HEBREWS HIS LATEST BEER INTHE MIDST OF HIS FIRSTSACRAMENTO BEER WEEK AND 24HOURS BEFORE HIS FIRST B AREFAST.>> BEING PART OF THE VIBRANTFABRIC OF MIDTOWN IS A REALLYCOOL THING.WE BELIEVE IN THE REDEVELOPMENTOF DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO AND FEELEXCITED AND PRIVILEGED.MAX: IF THIS IS THE NEW KID ONTH BLOCK, RUBICON BREWINGCOMPANY IS THE OLD GUARD.29 YEARS OLD AND SACRAMENTO'S>> THIS IS OUR ORIGINALBREWHOUSE.I JUST BREWED BATCH 4378.MAX: CHRIS CALLS BEER WEEK THEPERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONETO EXPAND THEIR PALETTE.>> EVERYBODY LOVES THE IPSA,PILSNER, PALE ALE.NOW IS A CHANCE TO TRY THEBOURBON BARREL AGED AND BRANDYROSEBUD.SOME WEIRD THING THAT SOMEBODYHAS THOUGHT OF.MAX: SIX YEARS AGO WHEN CHRIS'SBOSS HELPED CREATE YOUR WEEK,THERE WERE MORE THAN 100 EVENTS.NOW HE ESTIMATES THERE ARE MORETHAN 800 AND A GROWING GROUP OFBREWERS HOPING TO MAKE A SPLASH.>> THERE ARE SO MANY FANTASTICBREWERIES AND WE ARE HAPPY TO BEPART OF IT.MA PROCEEDS FROM B ARE FASTBENEFIT AN ORGANIZATION CALLEDRUNNING FOR RHETT.THE ORGANIZATION WORKS TOINSPIRE PEOPLE TO MOVE INTO LIFEAND DOES SO BY NURTURING HEALTHYCOMMUNITIES THROUGH FITNESS AND

Sac Beer Week: A look at how we got here

The annual beer drinker’s guide to new beers and new breweries draws to a close Sunday with Capitol Beer Fest

After 10 days of beer events, Sacramento Beer Week culminates Sunday with Capitol Beer Fest on the 5th Street bridge overlooking the Railyards.

FAST FACTS

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Sacramento Beer Weeks ran from March 2-12

Capitol Beer Fest features more than 120 breweries from across the country

Beer week’s growth comes as the region’s beer scene grows

More than 120 breweries from across California, the western seaboard, east coast and one from Iceland will take over the bridge overlooking Sacramento’s iconic and historic Railyards.

It’s the final event in an 11-day celebration of beer that stretches from Yuba City to Elk Grove and from Sacramento to Roseville.

“Everybody loves the IPA. Everyone likes a pilsner, pale ale, things like that. Beers that we know. But now's a chance to try these bourbon barrel aged, and you know, like brandy rosebud or some weird thing that somebody has thought of,” Rubicon Brewing Company pub brewer Chris Keeton said.

Over the last 10 days, beer fanatics have enjoyed new beers, food pairings and live music at an array of venues.

HOW DID IT BEGIN?

Glynn Phillips, owner of Rubicon Brewing Company and the co-founder of the Northern California Brewers Guild, helped to establish Sacramento Beer Week six years ago.

“We said, you know, ‘All these other cities are doing it. Why can’t Sacramento do it? We deserve to have this rich celebration of beer in Sacramento.’ So then, we said, ‘OK, let’s do it. How the hell are we going to pull it off?’”

It was a sales job, Phillips said.

He and his team went to wholesalers to teach them about beer week and how to go out and list events.

Then, they created a website that offered affordable advertising. It's also where the team pushed local media.

“The retailer creates an event that their customers really like and then they have fun doing it. They explore all these different, wonderful beers and there you go,” Phillips said.

In the first year, the event offered a little more than 100 events. In 2017, Phillips estimated it offered more than 800.

That kind of growth coincides with how the beer scene in Sacramento and its surrounding communities has grown.

When Phillips started the guild 12 years ago, it was a fraction of what it is today.

“I think there was maybe 20 breweries in northern California, you know. Only five in Sacramento,” said Phillips.

Now, he puts that number at 80.

“Beer has really changed in Sacramento because there’s so much selection. It’s much more competitive now than it was five years ago,” he said. “Do you like sours? Do you like stouts? Do you like IPAs?”

WHAT'S NEW?

Among the new breweries hoping to gain some attention with their select pints is Big Stump Brew Co., which opened at 18th and L streets six months ago.

“Being a part of the vibrant fabric of midtown is a really cool thing. We believe in the redevelopment of downtown Sacramento and feel very excited and privileged to be a part of that,” Alex Larrabee said, the owner and brewer at Big Stump Brew Co.

Both Sacramento Beer Week and Capitol Beer Fest are firsts for Big Stump.

Larrabee said the beer week not only brings together a diverse collection of beer drinkers, but it also joins together brewers who can bounce ideas off each other.

"Being a part of the collaborative community is fantastic,” he said. “I think when people work together in this industry, you can create some really amazing products, and so it’s been really positive and I’ve really appreciated all the help and advice from the other brewers in Sacramento and getting our company up and running.”